Light show gives families holiday memories

It's pretty hard to just drive past the lit up house on Bell Avenue in Chambersburg.

The display, which includes over 15,000 LED lights, 10 extension cords throughout the yard, a 20-foot tall tree and a projector that shows a video of a Santa Claus through a window, takes a whopping two to three days to set up. The lights, which blink different colors and move in time with the music played on a local radio station to songs like Frozen's "Let it Go," Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas," "Christmas Vacation," and a holiday medley, take about one to two hours to program per one minute of audio.

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Heather and Mike Cermak have been hosting their own light show for the past 10 years, which has become a community tradition for the area.
Ashley Books, Public Opinion

However, homeowners Heather and Mike Cermak have been creating the light show for the past 10 years, so the considerable time it takes to get it ready is nothing new to them.

And for Mike, the love of Christmas lights has been bred into him.

“As a tradition, my parents always took us out to see the lights every year when I was a kid growing up," he said. "On Christmas Eve we would always drive around and look at everyone’s lights.”

The light show started at the couple's first house on King Street after Mike saw a viral video online of a couple who did their own show. Pairing that with his career in computers and technology and Heather's career as a music teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic School, the two were able to combine their skills to create their first show.

"I'm a computer geek, so I said 'I can do that! That's not so hard!" Mike said.

A home at 1716 Bell Avenue, Chambersburg, is decorated with a light show in Chambersburg. Pictured is Santa in the window.(Photo: Markell DeLoatch, Public Opinion)

Since then, the show has remained similar to the original one 10 years ago, with some minor changes. Some elements of the show have been changed because the two moved from their house on King Street to their new house on Bell Avenue. In addition, this year they have also upgraded to LED lights from traditional Christmas lights, because they are more customizable and energy-efficient.

However, the light show doesn't come without some challenges.

"Every year, I'm out there saying 'why the heck am I doing it this year?' Because there's always some kind of problem and every year I'm like, 'why am I doing this?'" he said. "It takes so much time, so much effort. No one would believe how much time and effort and money goes into this."

Despite the effort, Mike said the experience is still worth it.

"But then you get the car full of kids out there, peeking in it and smiling and pointing and then it's worthwhile," he said.

A home at 1716 Bell Avenue, Chambersburg, is decorated with a light show in Chambersburg. Pictured is Santa in the window.(Photo: Markell DeLoatch, Public Opinion)

Heather said the audience for the light show has grown over the years, and "a lot of people have made it part of their Christmas tradition." She also said students and parents at her school will tell her how much they enjoyed the show.

"That is the best part about it," Mike said. "That's really why we do it, is to hear the stories of the kids coming and how much they enjoyed and how much they love it. I always ask them what's your favorite part and what's your favorite song. It's really to cool hear."

Now that it's become a family, as well as a community tradition, the couple has no plans to stop doing the light show any time soon.

"It's become a tradition for us, and it would be a disappointment to a lot of people if we were to stop," Mike said. "So, we intend to keep doing it as long as we can."

Residents can view the light show at 1716 Bell Ave. Sunday through Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 5:30-10:30 p.m.